Apparatus for and method of reforming the uppers of shoes



Aug. 13, 1940. A. H. ALTVATER 2,211,042

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF' RE-FORMING THE UPPERS 0F SHOES Filed Jan. 24, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 1 37 26 Q- ll l/ 35 f L awr 51 -J'j;-11".`\` 3537 Aug. k13, 1940. A. H. ALTvAfER 2,211,042

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF RE-FORMING THE UPPERS 0F SHOES Filed Jan. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmm UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE l APPARATUSFOR. ANDI METHOD OF RE- FORMING vUPPERS OF SHOES Adolf H. Altvatergk University City, Mo., assignor to Milton L. Dodge, Newburyport, Mass.

Application January24, 1936, 'Serial No. 60,612

' j11r c1aims.- (otra- 51) The present invention relates tov machines ofthe present invention to provde'a machine for which are used in the manufacture and repair of e-'OIInng menS bluoher and OXfOI'd Shoesshoes to press the uppers of iinishedshoes. To the accomplishment of these Objects and The present invention presents an improve- Such others as may hereinafter appear7 the Vari- Ament on the re-forming machines disclosed in my ous features of thel present invention reside. rin 54 PatentS'Nos. 2,164,861 and 2,164,862'. As explained certain devices, combinations, and arrangements. in these patents when: a shoe,l,such'as a Womans 0f parts fully set forth hereinafter and Vthen Dump, is pulled from a 'shoe-making last,' the pointed out in the appendedv claims, possessing Strains to which the shoe is subjectedr cause advantages fWhiCh Will be readily ,apparent t0 f luifirregularities inthe skirtings along the straight those skilled inthe art. v l 10 runs of the top edge of the shoe, spread the skirt- The various features of the present invention ings outwardly so that the interior linings at the Will be readily understood from an. nSDeCtOn 0f Sides of the shoe are unduly exposed, and .genertheaccompanying drawings, illustrating the best ally rob the shoe of the trim appearance intended form ofthe invention at present known to the "fir" by its designer and sought after during the variinventor, inwhich, i5*` ous shoe-making operations. It should also be Figure 1 is a view in left sidev elevation ofthe pointed out that a certain. amount of this distorlie-formingV machine; f n tion results from the mere trying on of shoes in Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of one of the outretail stores. The re-forming machines disside shaping forms; Y gm closed in my said patents and disclosed herein are Fig. 3 is a View taken along the lmet-3 of 20k designed to restore to shoes their trim appear- Fig. 4; f ance. s.. y Fig. 4 is a detail view in left side elevation`,.par. The re-forming machines disclosed in my said tiallyin section,- the swinging arm being removed' patents are designed for use primarilyl upon to show underlyingparts; y 2.3. womens pumps. But the strains of last-pulling y Fig. 5 'is a view in plan of awoman.s'blucher 25) affect shoes of the Oxford and blucher types shoe as it appears after being re-forriied;y i j much as they affect pumps,. and render it just asf Fig. '6 isa detail view in left side elevation desirablethat the trim appearancel of the shoes showing a modified inside shaping form; and Q v be restored. Inasmuch as shoes of the Oxford Fig. '7 is a view in sectional plan of an alter-- :tot and blucher types have closure wings not found native construction for t e outside shaping forms. in pumps, and the tops of these Wings extend well For the purpose ofdisc osure, the shoe I!) operabove the level'of the other portions ofthe top ated upon by the're-formin'gmachine shown in edge at the sides of the shoe, the machines dis- Figs. 1 and 4, is illustrated `andhdescrib'ed as a closed in my said patents are not adapted for re- Womans low-cut shoe of the blucher type' (FigL 35 forming shoes ofthe blucher or Oxford types. 5), the top edge Il'aroundthe openingjf which g5.`

It is accordinglyv the principal object of the is bound with French cord and comprises va curva-- present invention to prOVidea, Ie-forming mature I2 at the rearandside runs I3 and. I,4.on r y chine which, in addition tore-forming the skirtopposite sides of the shoe; respectively. The .top`v ings of thev top edge along the Sides of Shoes genedge also extends along the closure rWingsfliy and erally, will also re-form the closure` Wings ofV met the'front or the shoe, which is provided'with 40= shoes of the blucher o r Oxford tyDeS- j a tongue I'l.` These-wings I5 and 'I6 extend well Be'formmg machmes have been provlded above or beyond the level of theside runs I3 and Chley for Womens shoes Smce the materials of I4 respectively. As is well'known tothose skilled which they are made are generally lighter than in'the art, the upper ls andthelining r9- cr'ig. s)

#a in the case of mens shoes,-and are more aected of a blucher shoe are secured together by various 45 by the strains of shoe-malungfoperations or by Sea i one of which comprises the top Seam 20 anniaiintersting..tiene. e to. ed me blucher and Oxford shoes resulting from shoeedge H- .For Convemen herelfl thE lIn?? and. making Operations 01- from trying on', and it outer surfaces of the shoe ID lylngadJacent and 50.4 just as desirable that these shoes bey re-formed to Tunning along the vtop edge I I are each designated' restore their intended appearance. AsA Inens as the Skrng, and the upper i8 andthe ling. shoes of these typesv also lhave closure wings, ing I9-wil1 be together referred to hereinafter as which the machines disclosed in my said patents the uppen At the rear of the Shoe the upper. are not adapted to re-form, it is a further object is closed yby a back seam exposing to view a back seam crease 2I (Fig. 5) which is not completely shown in the gure.

The bluc'ner shoe illustrated in Fig. 5 represents a shoe after it has been operated upon by the re-forming machine, and shows the desirable appearance of the top edge II and the wings I5 and I6 intended by the designer and sought to be attained throughout the various shoe-making operations. The distortion of the skirtings along the top edge II resulting from last pulling, for example, or from trying the shoe on as in a retail store, has been removed, and the original appearance of the shoe has been restored.

The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 utilizes to a great extent the machine structure disclosed in my Patents No. 2,164,861 and No. 2,164,862, particularly the latter. For this reason those machine elements which are not new with the illustrated embodiment of the present invention will be referred to only generally.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, there-forming machine comprises a head 22 provided with a forwardly extending and vertically arranged arm `23 the front end of which is provided with a shaping mold 24 adapted to nt within and supporta shoe. Mounted on a vertical axis at each side of the arm 23 is a swinging arm, the left hand swinging arm 25 being shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the right hand swinging ,arm 26 beingvshown in Fig. 1. Attheir free ends the swinging arms 25 and 26 carry fiat plates, 21 (Fig. 3) and 28 (Fig. 1), respectively,v on which are readily and detachably mounted outside shaping forms 38 and 29, respectively. As will be more fully described later, the inside mold 24 and the outside forms 29 and 31) have substantially complementary surfaces which cooperate to press the shoe upper froml opposite sidesthereof simultaneously to re-form it.

In order to move the swinglng arms 25. an-dV 26 towards and away fromA the rarm 23, and thereby move the outside shaping` forms 29 and 30 towards and awayfromitheinside shaping mold 24, the arms 243, 25, and 26 receive loosely a horizontal Abolt 3| the opposite ends, of which are received bythe yoked. arms of an operating lever 32. A spring 33 (Fig. 4) coiled about the bolt 3| and having its ends engagingthe swinging arms 25 and 26 maintains these arms nor-- mally spread apart sothatthe mold 24 is readily' Studs` 34 and 35 carried by the arms of theY lever 3If accessible for mounting'a shoe thereon.

limit the outward swing of the swinging arms 25 and `26 and cooperate with wedge blocks 36 and 31 carried by the swinging arms, respectively, to press the arms towards the arm 23Vand lock` them there when the operating` lever 32 is moved forwardly (to the left, viewing Fig. 3) l Referring to Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the inside shaping mold 24 is similar to the inside shaping molds described in my said patents, andv is elongated and provided with operative convex shaping surfaces 38 of Vuniformfcurvature on its opposite lateral sides.

mounted upon it with the toe thereofpointing downwardly and with the heel portion of the upper being supported by theconvex top `39 of the mold. `A stop 49 (Figs. land 4) limits the extent to which the heel end of the shoe iits over the top 39. The mold 24 isprovided in front with a cavity 4I in which a heating unit cartridge 42 may be placed and connected by wiring 43 to a source of electricity (not shown). A plate 44 covers the cavity 4I. In order to The mold 24 is arranged vertically so that a shoe ID may be permit the mold 24 to enter the shoe readily, the bottom of the mold is provided with a downwardly and rearwardly extending nose 45.

The above is a general description of the structure and mode of operation of those parts of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention which are described in detail and claimed in my` said patents, this description being given so that the following description of the features constituting my improvements may be more readily understood.

The operative shaping surfaces 38 of the mold 24 are adapted `by reason of their construction toengage the skirtings adjacent the top edge along the side runs of the shoe as indicated in Figi-4.' It will be apparent, however, that since the wings I5 and I6 of the shoe extend well above the level of the top edge of the side runs I3 and I4, respectively, the operating shaping surfaces 38 ofthe mold 24 are not adapted to engage these wings.

To achieve wing engagement, associated with the opposite sides of the mold 24 are vertical plates 46 and 41 (Figs. 1, 3, and 4) which abut the mold 24 and extend rearwardly and are securedat their tops to the stationary arm 23 by means of screws 48. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, the mold-abutting edge 49 of the plate 41 is curved` slightly outwardly as indicated at 50, and on its inner face is beveled, as indicated at 5I. tion 5I lies against the curvature of the mold 24 and by reason of the curve 59 the edge 49 lies closeto a surface 38 of the mold so that thc outer surface 52 of the plate 41 comprises substantially a continuation of its associated mold surface. The plate 46 is formed in a manner corresponding to the plate 41, and is similarly mounted. Referring to Figs. 1, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the plates 46 and 41 are associated with the mold 24 in such position along its length as to register with substantially the entire inner surface of the shoe wings, and are larger than the wings to insure this result.

With the above described constructionit will be seen that the operative shaping surfaces 38 of the mold and the surfaces 52 of the plates 46. and 41 comprise together a shaping form adapted to engage the skirtings along the top edge `of the side runs I3 and I4 of the shoe and also engage the wings I5 and I6 of the shoe so that under the yinuence of a suitable pressing means these engaged portions of the shoe are shaped and given a desired appearance.

This shaping is effected by the outside shaping forms 29 and 30, of corresponding construction, and the operating mechanism therefor described above. The outside shaping form 36 comprises a base portion 53 (Fig. 2) and a wing portion 54 extending therefrom. The base portion 53 is similar to the outside shaping form disclosed in my Patent No. 2,164,862, and is preferably made of solid rubber. In order that they may coact with the operative shaping surfaces 38 of the mold 24, the operativel shaping surfaces of the base portions of the forms 29 and 38 are concave and are of a uniform curvature complementary to the curvature of the shaping surfaces `38. Embedded in the rear face of the rubber base portion 53 are studs 55 `by which the form may be removably secured to the plate 28 (Fig. 1) in the manner disclosed in my said Patent No. 2,164,862. The operative shaping face of each base portion is preferably formed by With this construction the beveled por-` a molding operation, the rubber material of the 75 form lendin-g itself well .toijmoldingpfrom bothv`v apoint of accuracy and a point of cheapness of '3 manufacture. y

The wing 54 extending from the base portion L 53. is iiat and relatively thin, is large-enough to tion 53 andthe shaping face of .the wing 5,4;l are preferably covered by some material 56 other thanrubber, such as `leather vulcanizedv into the rubber or adhesively secured: thereto. -f

Viewing Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that when the swinging arms 25 and v26 arev pressed towards the arm 23 by operation of the lever 32, the base portions of theforms 29 and 30 are pressedvagainst the opposite side runs`|3 and I4, respectively, of theshoe which in turn are Apressed against the shaping surfaces' 3-8- of the mold 24.l In order to press the wing 54 of the form 35 against the wing i6 of the'shoefthe swinging arm 25- is provided with a block 51 (Fig. 3) adapted to engage the outer face of the Wing 54. The swinging arm 26 isprovided with a block 58 (Fig. 1) corresponding tolthe block 5'l'and functioning to press the wing of the form 29 against the wing l5 of the shoe. `f l The outside forms 2,64 and' 30' have been described and illustratedas comprising base' portions provided with integral wings. Whilethis construction is easy to-manufacture since the rubber can be poured into a suitable moldin one operation, from av shoe manufacturers pointof view it is preferable that the wings be more resilient than the base portions, Vand this is most easily eected if the wings are separate pieces from the base portions, being either vulcanized therewith or adhesively -secured thereto. The purpose of this construction lies in handling the outside forms, that is, in mounting and dismounting them and in storage. Were vthe wings in-I tegral with the' base portions,1there might be a tendency for the wings to crack orv break away from the base portionsl in -repeatedthandlin'g by reasonof their stiffness` and relative thinness. A

wing` more resilient than the'base portion will flex readily and therefore stand up longer under repeated handling.

Such a construction for the outside forms is indicated in Fig. 7. The base portion 59 is formed 'of solid rubber in a manner corresponding tothe base portion 53 (Fig.-3), and the wing 66, also preferably of rubber such as fine sponge, is more resilient than the base portion 59. The forward.

edge portion of the wing 60 is beveledl on' its outer face to engage and be secured to a corresponding beveled surface -on the base portion 59, and the forward edge portion of the wing 66 is shaped on its inner face so asy to merge with and form a continuation-of the contour of the shaping facel of the 1oase portion. The base portion 59 and the Wing. 60 are provided with a shoe contacting surface 6I of different material as is the case of the forms shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When; completed,

theoutside forms made as shown in Fig. 7 have the same over-all shape as the.` outside forms 29 and 36 and are operated. bythe machine in the same manner. i' f i In my Patent No. 2,164,862, itwasv pointed out that if a womansf shoe is allowed to hang freely on the mold and loe-supported by only its heel end, it sometimes-.happensvthat ythe'van'ip buckles or crimps as the result of moving the outside shaping `forms against the freely` hanging ling or vcrimpingiduring the application of pres;

sure. This construction also served topositioni the shoe', on the vinside mold so that the skirtings; adjacent the top edgevalong theside runs.,of the" shoe were held insubstantial conformity to the operative shaping surfaces of theinside mold 'priorto .theapplication of pressure bythe ,outside Ik have utilized the basic 'features' ofzthis con struction inthe illustrated embodiment of the present invention,'making certain .desirable im-I provements thereon.` Referring to Figs. land 4,.

a-n arm 62 is pivoted at one end `tothe head 22 and extendsforward under the arm 23-to a -point near-,themold 24. Pivoted tothe free end of the-`r arm 62 is a bent strip 63 comprising aforwardly`v extending short arm 64 and a longer arm 65 bent;

downwardly and rearwardlyof the farm 64. 4The free end of the arm 6511s provided withy ay block 66 adapted to be linserted in the toe portionfof the.v shoe, as shown inFig. 4, andthe arm 65 is of such length as to clear the opening of the shoe at thebase of theqtongue I1. A leaf springr 61 yieldingly resists upward movement of thebent strip 63' onY the arm 62, and the arm 62is pulled downwardly by acoil spring 68 connected to the head 22. A U-shaped-clipV 69 resting ona run. the downward movement of off the arm 23 limits the -arm (i2.I

a Except for certain improvements, presently to; be described, the above construction is disclosed.

in my'Patent No. 2,164,862. The shoe isppositioned in the machine-first by inserting the block 66 into thetoe and then pulling the shoe up against the tension ofthe spring 68` to cause the nose 45 to'enter the shoe.. The shoe is then pulledv further upward against the tension of the spring 68,'and the heel end of the shoe is pushed alongv the top'39 ofthe mold 24 solas' to rest on itin shoe.; :.LTO.; prevent possible injuryI to2 the: vain-p;y from thiscause in my, said patent. I disclosed-a constructionffor holding the va-mpagainst bucketabutment with the stop. yInthis voperation the tongue I1 may be either tucked into the shoe or it may extend outwardly.'

. In this constructionshown in my saidi Patent No. 2,164,862, the rear of the nose of themold was smooth and an arm similar to the arm 65;

rested against it'whenv the shoe was mounted in the machine; The armwas of appreciable thickness and was concavo-convex, both for stiifening purposes and so as toconform to the curva.A ture of the rear of the'mold. While this con-- struction served to hold the shoe as a whole taut and hold the vskirtings in substantial conformity. to the operative shaping surfaces of the inside:

mold, the thickness of the material of .the arm similar to the arm 65 necessarily caused the vamp to be spaced along and adjacent lits longitudinal center from the rearA ofthe mold., and `this to a-l certain Vextent causedthe contour ,ofthe upper, in its condition of tautness, to vary slightly from the shaping contour of the mold.- In some 'cases it was found that in re-forming the^-upper this differential of contour affected the re-formation' of. the shoe adversely yin that the' arm slightly distorted portionsv of thejvarnp away from the adjacentY portions p ressedfby the forms.

To obviate such a possibility, in theillustratedy ofv embodiment of the present invention-the. rear i the nose is not smooth, but is providedwith` a recess 'ICI` (Fig. 4) wide. .enoughto'. receive the arm ofthe bent stripQBS-andfdeep enough.v so that the arm- 65-lies7appreciably within the mouth of the recess. Y Thefarm Slis ofcourse.

l inner surface of the taut upper made suiciently long to achievethis result, or the arm 64 may be made suiciently long for this purpose. With this construction the arm 85 is spaced from the vamp of the shoe so that the adjacent ythe nose 45 engages the mold and necessarily conforms to its shaping contour.

Broadly considered it will be seen that the stationary mold 24, the plates 46 and 41, the arm 62, and the block 6B constitute an inside shaping form which is normally maintained fully extended by the spring 68 but which is contracted by the act of inserting the inside shaping form intov the shoe. When the inside shaping form is within the shoe the springs 61 and 68 hold the mold top 39 and the block 66 firmly against the rear and toe ends of the shoe, respectively, and also serve to draw the wings of the shoe into engagement with the plates 46 and 41 and the skirtings of the side runs along the top edge of the shoe into engagement with the operative shaping surfaces 38 of the mold 24.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a modied inside shaping form adapted for use in re-forming mens blucher or Oxford shoes. This modied form comprises an elongated shaping mold 1| mounted vertically like the mold 24 upon a stationary arm 12 similar to the stationary arm 23. The mold 1| is provided on its opposite lateral sides with convex operative shaping surfaces of uniform curvature and with a convex top 13'. Features of construction presently to be described render it unnecessary that the mold 1| have a nose like the nose 45, and the length of the mold isaccordingly such that the mold extends from the heel of the shoe 14'(shown as an Oxford forpurposes of disclosure) to a vpoint slightly beyond the top of the lacing fly. The mold 1| is deep enough so that its operating shaping surfaces may engage not only the skirtings adjacent the top edge of the shoe but also the top portions of the closure wings, as indicated.

The arm 12 diiers from the arm 23 only at its forward end, and is thus replaceable on the head 22 as a substitute for the arm 23. This substitution requires `no other change in the machine except the removal of the outside shaping forms 29 and 30 and their replacement with other shaping forms having concave shaping surfaces complementary with the shaping surfaces of the mold 1I and adapted to coact therewith to re-form the upper. The general mode of operation of the machine thus arranged is the same as that of the machine shown in Figs. 1

v and 4 and in either of my said pending applica-` tions. y

The materials used in mens shoes being generally heavier than the materials used in womens shoes, there is less danger in the case of the former of a buckling or crimping of the upper when the outside shaping forms are brought into pressing position. It is therefore not necessary that the upper of a mans shoe be held as taut as is the case with womens shoes, and

`= for this reason in utilizing the present invention upon mens shoes, the construction exemplied by the arms 62 and 65, the block 66, and the spring 68 may be dispensed with. It"is,however, desirable that a mans shoe be slightly taut while being re-formed.

I'o this end the top of the arm 12 is provided with a stop 15 for engaging the heel end of the upper, and is also provided forwardly with a depending lug 16 adjacent the rear of the base of the mold 1|. Projecting forwardly from the lug 16 for a short distance under the mold 1| is a rod 11 which is bent downwardly at approximately 45 degrees at a point lying below the front of the mold 1|. At its forward end the bent rod 11 is provided with a portion 18 of reduced diameter which extends loosely into a passage 19 formed in a cylindrical head 80 and provided with a blind end. The end`8| of the reduced portion 18 is slightly enlarged so as to t the passage 19 formed in the head 80. In manufacture a coil spring 82 is interposed between the blind end of the passage 19 and the enlarged end 8| of the reduced portion 18, after which the open end of the passage 19 is pinched so as to lie close to the reduced portion 18 and prevent the head 8U from leaving the passage. This construction thus provides a resilient plunger extending forwardly and downwardly from the mold 1|, the plunger being capable of movement for a distance equal to the extent that the reduced portion 18 is exposed.

As shown in Fig. 6 the head 80 of the plunger engages the insole of the shoe substantially at its ball line when it is mounted on the mold 1|,

thus serving to limit initially the extent to which 9 the mold enters the shoe. The head 80 also serves to facilitate the entrance of the mold 1| into the shoe, thus functioninglike the nose 45, and may be utilized to lift the tongue 83 of the shoe out of the way for the ready insertion of the mold.

It will be seen that the mold 1|, the rod 11, and the head 10 together comprise an inside shaping form for engaging the skirtings adjacent the top edge along the side runs of the shoe and also the top portions of the wings formed by the lacing fly. The shoe is mounted on the form by rst utilizing the head 80 to pull out the tongue 83 and then as a guide for the entrance of the bottom of the mold 1| into the shoe. The shoe is then pulled upwardly and over the mold until its heel portion is supported by the mold top 13 and engages the stop 15. In this position, the plunger head 80 engages the insole of the shoe. Should it be desired to subject the upper to heat as well as pressure, the mold 1| may be provided with a heating cartridge unit 84 and connected wiring 85 in a manner similar to this provision for the mold 24.

While the head 80, pressed outwardly by the spring 82, abuts the insole of the shoe substantially at its ball line, it is not intended that the outside shaping forms should engage the shoe while it rests merely by gravity uponthe mold top 13 and against the head 80. Prior to bringing the outside shaping forms into pressing position, but after the shoe is mounted in the machine, the operative presses on the outsole against the tension of the spring 82, thereby causing the head 8D, while still engaged with the shoe, to move rearwardly along the reduced portion 18. Thereupon, with the shoe held in this position by the operative, the outside shaping forms are placed in pressing position, and the operative then releases his pressure on the shoe. With this mode of operation, the shoe is actually clamped in the machine by reason of its engagement with the inside and outside shaping forms, but since these forms do not engage the entire shoe, the pressure4 of the spring-pressed head 80 against the insole of the shoe operating in a direction away from the mold 1| eliminates any slack there may be in the vamp and serves to hold it under a slight tension during the reforming operation. This feature is particularly useful in retail stores where it is customary in preparing mens shoes for trying-on for the salesman to bend the toe portion of the shoe back and forth, thus causing the vamp, back of the tip, to wrinkle. The shoe thus wrinkled loses its trim appearance, and if the shoe is not sold the wrinkles create sales resistance when subsequently presented to another prospective customer. By moistening the inside of the toe portion opposite the wrinkling with a damp cloth or sponge, the try-on wrinkles may be eradicated through the use of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6 as the heat generated in the cartridge unit 84 acts to dry or tree the shoe while it is held with the moistened vamp in a slightly stretched condition.

The extent to which the operative moves the head 80 in initially'holding the shoe inthe machine depends upon the nature of the shoe, but the reduced portion I8 may be made long enough to accommodate all sizes in a given series, or there may be provided different sized units each comprising a rod Tl, reduced portion 18, head 80, and spring 82.

Nothing herein explained is to be interpreted as limiting the present invention in the scope of its application to use in connection with the particular apparatus or the particular mode of operation or both selected for purposes of illustration and explanation. 'I'he present invention is not limited to the illustrated and described details of construction, nor is it limited to the conjoint use of all its features, nor is it to be understood that these particulars are essential since they and the steps of the method disclosed may be modified within the skill of the artisan without departing from the true scope of the actual invention, characterizing features of which are set forth in the following claims by the intentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of various modifications.

What is claimed as new is:

l. In a re-forming machine, the combination with an inside shaping form andoutside shaping forms to press at least thel skirtings along the top edge on the opposite sides of a shoe against the shaping contour of the inside form, of means for holding the vamp adjacent its longitudinal center line in engagement with the shaping contour of the inside form during the pressing operation.

2. In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and outside shaping forms for pressing portions of the upper of a shoe from opposite sides simultaneously, the inside form comprising a stationary mold engaged with the rear end of the shoe, a part engaged with the toe end of the shoe, and a support for the second named part extending under the vamp generally along the longitudinal center line thereof and spaced therefrom.

3. In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and outside shaping forms for pressing portions of the upper of a shoe from opposite sides simultaneously, the inside shaping form comprising a stationary mold engaged with the rear end of the shoe and provided with a recess, a block engaged with the toe end of the shoe, and a supporting arm for the block, said arm being received by the recess and supported outside the shoe.

4, In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and outside shaping forms having substantially complementary surfaces for pressing portions of the upper of a shoe from opposite sides simulplementary mold and means associated therewith tending to urge the shoe away fromkthe mold while being pressed thereagainst by the outside forms.

5. In a machine for re-forming a shoe provided with closure wings, coacting inside and outside shaping forms having substantially comple'- mentary surfaces for pressing the wings and the skirtings of the top edge at the side runs of the shoe from opposite sides simultaneously, and means for tensioning the vamp of the shoe while the Wings and skirtingsare being pressed.

6. In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and outside shaping forms having substantially com'- surfaces for contacting the inner and outer surfaces of the upper of a shoe, the inside shaping form comprising a stationary mold en gageablewith the rear end of the shoe, a stationary arm, and means movable on the arm for engaging an interior surface of the shoe.

7. In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and taneously, the inside form comprising a stationary outside shaping forms having substantially comi plementary surfaces for contacting the inner and outer surfaces of the upper of a shoe, the inside shaping form comprising a stationary mold envgageable with the rear end of the shoe, astationary arm, a member movable thereon for engaging an interior surface of the shoe, and means offering a yielding resistance to the movement of said member.

8. In a re-forming machine, coacting inside and outsideshaping forms having substantially complementary surfaces for contacting the inner and outer surfaces of the upper of a shoe, the inside shaping form comprising a stationary mold engageable with the rear end of the shoe and a resiliently extensible member comprising a stationary part and a movable part engageable with an interior surface of the shoe.

9. That improvement in the art of removing try-on wrinkles from an area on the exposed face of the vamp of a shoe adjacent the tip which consists in moistening the unexposed face of the vamp opposite the wrinkled area, clamping the shoe at a point spaced from the moistened area, andsubjecting the moistened area of the clamped shoe to the influence of heat and tension. l

10. In a machine for re-forming shoes provided with closure wings, the combination with an inside shaping form having a shaping contour for engagement with the side portions of the upper adjacent to the shoe opening and a wing thereof, of an outer pressing form having parts for engagement with the outer face of the shoe adjacent to the shoe opening and with one of said wings, and means directly engaging one of said parts and yieldingly connected to the other part for pressing said outer form toward said inside form.

11. In a machine for re-forming shoes provided with closure wings, the combination with an inside shaping form having a shaping contour for engagement with the side portions of the upper adjacent to the shoe lopening and a wing thereof, of an outer pressing form having parts for engagement with the outer face of the shoe adjacent to the shoe opening and with one of said wings, and means directly engaging said wingengaging part and yieldingly connected to the other part for pressing said outer form toward said inside form.

ADOLF H. ALTVATER. 

